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Trout gets breather as Wells starts in center

Trout gets breather as Wells starts in center

Mike Trout

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ANAHEIM -- After playing seven consecutive games in center field with Peter Bourjos on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring, Angels prospect Mike Trout took a seat on the pine Tuesday night for the first of three games with the Rangers at Angel Stadium.

Trout has gone 3-for-24 (.125) with a double, two walks, two runs scored and one RBI. He hasn't had the success he or his supporters anticipated, but it's a big jump from Double-A to the Major Leagues -- even for an athlete branded as the No. 1 prospect in the game by multiple operations, including MLB.com.

"This is for today," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said when asked about Vernon Wells roaming center field for the series opener against right-hander Alexi Ogando. Texas has lefties Derek Holland and C.J. Wilson to follow, heightening the odds that Trout, a right-handed hitter, will return to the lineup.

"I don't think it's frustrating at all," Scioscia said when asked about Trout's early offensive struggles while playing excellent defense. "He hasn't been overmatched. He's hit some balls well. That's a good sign."

Bourjos ran at "about 60 percent as a touch and feel," Scioscia said on Tuesday, and he hopes to be ready to go on Saturday in Baltimore when he's eligible to come off the DL.

"He had no discomfort at all and feels strong," Scioscia said. "The first workout is to make sure you can do the minimal. We want him to be ready on Saturday, and we'll see how it goes."